Kraven, o Caçador

Sony's Spider-Man Universe doesn't go with a bang, but a whimper. "Kraven the Hunter" is clichéd at all turns. ATJ tries to make the most of it, yet the script holds it back. Action is a bit fun at times, but it's muddled with much pompous exposition.

The movie is kinda fun when Johnson is in action causing bloody chaos but everything else is a drag. Great cast held back by clunky dull dialogue. The script is simply bad and a waste of Aaron Taylor Johnson, who I actually enjoyed in the role. Another instance of a villain turned hero. A story that lacks any intrigue. Rhino and Chameleon are wasted as I expected.

"'Kraven the Hunter" was probably a solid 2004's action movie at one point, but the usual Sony antics are all here. Painful ADR, choppy editing, and tons of lifeless CGI animals!

Dare to say, this is one of the most soulless modern comicbook movies. It is exactly the film you'd expect at this point. The film doesn't understand a single character it tries to adapt to screen and the whole movie often feels created by AI.

It is better than "Madame Web" and "Venom: The Last Dance" which isn't saying much, but if this is the end of the Sony Spider-Man-less universe, at least I'm glad it's over.

The latest entry in the Spider-Man adjacent movies, Kraven delivers on super-hero based action, broad predictable characters and a by-the-numbers plot.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson delivers a solid performance, with an impressive amount of physicality. Russell Crowe is better than in Thor: Love and Thunder. The other cast members provide adequate performances.

Alas, the same cannot be said for Ariane DeBose (Calypso), whose delivery is so wooden that it caused open laughter in the theatre. The same is true for the woman playing her grandmother, though she at least had the excuse of having a massive exposition dump in 3 minutes of screen time.

Credit to Sony for persevering with this cinematic universe despite its lacklustre performance.

Six stars is probably generous. This movie is NOT good. In many aspects, it's actively bad (see below). But I was still able to enjoy this in a dumb-fun kind of way. Here are a few factors that helped.

First, I am a big Spider-Man fan and remember liking the Kraven character from the 90's animated series. I also regularly find entertainment from stupid, lower quality movies. And I've enjoyed many of the other Sony-Marvel side universe movies.

There are also some cool actions scenes. I'm ecstatic they went for an R rating instead of being cowards (looking at you, Morbius). But by far the best part of this movie is Aaron Taylor-Johnson. His acting talent is on full display and he elevates every scene he's in.

Okay now the bad. This movie is all over the place, unfocused and pretty dumb. There are multiple moments of unintentional humor, including one of the funniest character reactions I've ever seen. The dialogue and line delivery is bad. The CGI is bad. It's a generally poorly-made movie.

But by far the worst part is the performance by Ariana DeBose. I really don't like being mean, but this is third thing I've seen her in (Argylle and I. S. S.), and she does NOT belong. I couldn't stop noticing how unconvincing she was. Her line delivery made me laugh. In scenes with her and Taylor-Johnson, the contrast in talent could not be more stark.

Look, you already know if this is something you would enjoy. If it looks stupid to you, don't watch it. If you aren't as picky and can still enjoy something with major flaws, you might have a good time.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday UltraScreen 12/12/2024)

I decided to ignore the bad ratings of the movie because I have loved Aaron Taylor's Johnson acting ability in every movie I've seen him in. I just came back home from the cinema and I have to say I'm very disappointed in the movie's script! The script had so many clichés, it was predictable, it lacked depth, it didn't give the actors a chance to act. It left me feeling like it was written to be easily consumed by the viewer.. I love action movies, I love super hero movies and this was arguably worse than Thor love and thunder. Other than that, I'd love to see this character in a new film (with different writers).

I think Kraven achieved everything it wanted to achieve, and I'm surprised to say I don't hate it. It's a simple "turn your brain off and enjoy" kind of action movie. I came in expecting something corny and repetitive from "marvel's fantasy mafia movie"; and while there were a lot of awkward character writing and inconsistent pacing - as well as janky CGI - I was pleasantly surprised to see several attempts at deeper themes and a decent art direction. Its simplicity keeps the whole thing cohesive and easy to follow. There was no point in the movie where I was completely taken out by the story direction, or felt like there were loose ends and plot holes. It's solid, simple, and a bit boring. All in all, I give it a 7 for being a little better than mid.